I was originally going to call this post, “Afro Puffy Twists or How My Dream Turned into a Nightmare.” However, time has allowed wounds to heal and a level-head to prevail. Now that I’ve sufficiently recovered from my PTSD (Post Twists Stress Disorder), I feel that I can give a breakdown of the Pros and Cons of my long-term, winter protective style, Afro Puffy Twists. Read More!!>>>

I always hear about people opting to wear protective styles during
the harsh winter. But what about protecting your hair during the hot
summer months? With summer just around the corner, it's time to think about protective styles during the hot months ahead. I’ve worn micro braids and Senegalese twists, but never
tried my hand at kinky twists. If you follow the same premise of two
strand twists, kinky twists should be a fairly straight forward
installation and can save you lots of money should you choose to do them
yourself. Here’s how I did mine!

It's that
time again! Graduation is right around the corner, so I wanted to do a
special post for you fabulous college curlies preparing to move on to
the next phase of your life!

My first tip is that you can wear your curly/kinky/coily underneath your cap.
I thought it wasn't possible, but it was actually quite easy to wear a
cap over my curls, even with the humidity of summer in North Carolina.
So before you reach for that flat iron, here are some style options to
keep it fierce and carefree on graduation day.

Twist Out: A
simple way to rock your hair big and boldly under a cap is to simply
wear a twist out and secure the cap on with bobby pins, which is what I
did. To maximize space under the cap, try flat twisting your hair and
not fluffing the roots, so that the area underneath the cap lies flat,
and the part outside of it is visible and defined. You can also pin some of the front section of your hair back, like I did:

Twist-out with one side pinned to the back

Not convinced? Here are some more ladies rocking fierce twist outs underneath a graduation cap:

Many of us want those laid tresses. Yes, we may love our coils, curls and kinks, but a sexy, sleek straight look is still coveted and can look amazing! While, many steer clear due to fear of heat damage, others try and find newer ways to get that sexy look without damaging the hair. Well, the newest thing out here that is getting much love is Thermal Relaxing.Continue!>>>

If you’ve been natural long enough—you know that shrinkage can be cray! It can rob of you hard earned inches! Personally, my hair shrinks up at least six inches (probably more… I don’t have a tape measurer otherwise I probably would check). Some people hate shrinkage, while others don’t mind it at all. When I first went natural I hated it... a lot. Especially because I wanted my hair to look longgg–not be like an afro! Not that anything is wrong with afros at all—just wasn’t my personal preference. Plus, back then being natural wasn’t really accepted. So I just got made fun of and got called Macy Gray and what not all the time *sighs*. But some people love their shrinkage! They love the versatility of it and never fight it. So if you are in that category, then this post isn’t for you (but share it with a friend or something)!

So there are a few ways I stretch my hair to get rid of some of the shrinkage. If I didn’t do these things, my hair would probably look a lot shorter and poofier.

Afro piks are a staple in the black hair community, and we’re not just talking about your dad’s legendary collection from his high school days. Long before popular piks had a black fist, they were used in ancient pre-dynastic Egypt over 6,000 years ago.

Since then, piks have changed very little. There’s still no better tool for adding volume to kinky hair but it’s important to know your way around this little game changer. The wrong tool or technique can cause serious breakage and possibly abrasions on your scalp.
Our fragile curls only deserve the best.

A roller set on natural hair is a simple (but often times complicated) style.

With a roller set, you can have sleek, stretched curls without direct heat. This is especially great for those that want to achieve a stretched curly style and without putting their hair at risk for heat damage. With these tips and tricks, I’m sure you can get your best roller set.

Not everyone is style savvy. I know I'm not. It is no secret that I am the wash and go queen, but that is not just for convenience. I fail at so many styles that I just stay in my lane with the WnG. This does not need to be your fate as there are excellent options and room to grow.

If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to do certain styles, then these three-easy/ less than 10 minutes /get you out the door faster than a lightning bolt options are perfect. I've even got pics and videos for you lovelies!

The sponge method is the perfect refresher method that literally takes 5 minutes to do. It's used for short hair and TWA's, but can probably be used for any sized afro if you're looking for some definition. It helps get rid of frizz and gives your TWA some defined coils. You can get these sponges at any auto store, Walmart, and even some beauty supply stores are now carrying them.

Watch as Shekia Renea removes frizz from her TWA using the sponge method for curl definition!

Love the look of a twist out but frustrated with the short lived results? It is totally possible to have a long lasting style results with very low maintenance. Here’s some tips for making a twist out last:

Labels:
Down and Out
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Hair Tips
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Stylin' and Profilin'
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wash and go

Bianca Alexa writes:

All too often I find myself stuck with an old wash and go, and not enough time to pamper my hair with the love and detangling session it needs. So to help tackle those off days, I created a quick tutorial of 8 simple hairstyles you can do with an old wash and go by just using bobby pins! Quick, easy & fabulous. Enjoy!

Bantu knots and the resulting bantu knot out
are my favorite hairstyle! Any hair type or texture can do bantu knots –
for some, it’ll create looser waves, and for others it will have a cute
“curly q” effect with a head of tight, springy curls. Since it totally
changes the look and curl of your hair, it’s perfect to do on multiple
day hair to change up your look mid-week. To do this style, follow these
step-by-step instructions:Read More!!>>>

Are you looking for an easy date night style, or want to switch up your usual wash and go? Wand curls are super easy, cute and don’t have to be a hassle. Check out how I was able to achieve my voluminous wand curls on blow dried, natural hair.Continue!>>>

We’ve all been there. What we thought was going to be a dope twist out turns out to be a dud. If you start to take down your twists and can see your style isn’t turning out so hot you can take action to prevent things from going further downhill.Continue!>>>

Have you been trying to figure out the best ways to stretch natural hair without heat? Of course, every girl loves her natural curls but stretching your hair before styling can result in a totally different look. The problem most women fear; however, is heat damage! Growing out heat damaged hair is the most annoying thing I’ve ever experienced in my natural hair journey. Eventually, I cut the remaining damaged ends but, that option is off the table for a lot of women. As a result, here are a few cool ways you can stretch your hair without heat the next time you’re about to style your hair.Continue!>>>

I’d love to say that I always stick to my weekly regimen, I never cut corners, I eat my vegetables, and I work out every day without fail. None of that is true. There are times when I’d rather sit on the couch then go run and days when I have to rush through my hair and somehow make it work.

This is my “I’m being forced to go to the club,” “The girls wanna do happy hour,” or “Of course he would ask me out for drinks on my dry day five hair,” situation. It’s not quite a co-wash and go, but by the time you do your makeup and pick out your outfit, you’ll be ready to roll.Read On!>>>

Crochet braids have definitely come a long way since their emerging popularity in the 90's. I wanted to share my take on the very popular and trending hairstyle "Crochet Braids with Marley Hair" that is an ideal protective hairstyle for the Fall. Enjoy!

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